Cooking time: 1hr 45 mins
Oven Temperature: 180°C (fan)
Serving Size: serves 6-8 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS
6 large potatoes (e.g. King Edward)
1 large red onion
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
10g salted butter
approx 25g flour
80g finely grated edam cheese (or gruyère)
100ml single cream
2 tsp neutral oil (e.g. rapeseed/vegetable oil)
METHOD
1.) Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)
2.) Add the potatoes to a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. We are looking to par-boil the potatoes meaning the potatoes should be partially cooked i.e. soft enough to pierce with a fork but not too soft that the potatoes are ready to eat. This should take 10-15 minutes once the water has begun to boil. Once cooked, drain and allow to cool and peel off the skins of the potatoes using your hands to avoid removing too much flesh. TIP: you can par-boil the potatoes ahead of time, it is much easier to peel the skin off of the potatoes when they are cold.
3.) Slice the onion in half (from stem to route), and then cut the onion in thin ½ moon slices (approx 2-4mm depending on your knife skills).
4.) Cook the onions in a saucepan on a medium heat with the 2 tsp of neutral oil. Once the onions begin to soften, add the sugar (1 tsp), salt (¼ tsp) and balsamic vinegar (1 Tbsp). Continue to cook on a medium/low heat until the onions begin to caramelise by becoming sticky and darker in colour. Once cooked, set aside to cool down.
TIP: if I'm worried about the liquid evaporating too much, I just add a splash of water to avoid the onions becoming crispy.
5.) Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible whilst maintaining their circular shape (3-5mm if possible). Don't worry too much if you can't slice it super thinly as this likely means you have cooked them a little longer and they will still be super soft when they come out the oven - just what we want!
6.) Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of an oven proof dish (approx 20cm x 30cm) in preparation for layering the potatoes with the other ingredients. Begin layering the ingredients:
single layer of potatoes
season with salt and pepper
use a sieve to sprinkle a thin layer of flour (think icing sugar over brownies)
conservative layer of caramelised onions, approx one third of the total amount (potatoes should be the star of the show)
sprinkle one third of the grated edam cheese
Repeat this layering process until the ingredients are use up. On the final layer of potatoes, only add salt and pepper and cheese on top. Once the final layer is in place, drizzle the single cream evenly over the whole dish.
7.) Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven at 180°C (fan) for 40 minutes.
8.) Remove the foil and place the dish back in the oven at the same temperature for 15-20 minutes to brown the cheese and enjoy!
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